Yes, I've modified my OP. The Z Fold 7 is outselling the Z Flip for the first time in certain markets.
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Foldable iPhone Like 'Two Titanium iPhone Airs' Joined at the Hinge
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For years I've been waiting/hoping for true split view multi tasking on the iPhone Pro Max....And it just dawned on me that I'm never going to get it.... Apple has been holding out this feature,to introduce it with the fold in order to make it a selling point 🤦♂️
Face ID modules are pretty chunky because the dot projector uses a prism. The iPhone Air only manages it by moving the Face ID assembly slightly lower on the screen so it can protrude out into the "Camera Plateau" - it's too thick for the Air's body otherwise. The iPad Pro M4 is about as thin as you can make something with the current Face ID design.
If an iPhone Fold is the same (or thinner) thickness of the Air on both sides then it wouldn't be technically feasible to put Face ID on both sides unless both have a bump out. The only solution would be to redesign the dot projector with a metalens or something similar to eliminate the prism, but that might not be ready for primetime yet. (This is also why Face ID is not feasible on a MacBook Air/Pro yet - the lid is too thin).
No it won't be. The people on the fence about switching to Android to get the fold have most likely already done so. The people like me that want a foldable but don't want to switch to Android will buy this. I also think that people are waiting to see what Apple comes up with since they are usually late to a product but have something better. Like the iPod, iPhone and iPad. They were not the first but they were the best.
Folding phones sell well in Asia. I tried the Samsung Fold7 briefly. It has an excellent unfolded screen and was very slim indeed. The iFold Phone will have ample space for the two SIM cards. $2,499 price point would be fine. Maybe $2,999 for the fully loaded variant. Would be a lot of buyers in Asia for that.
Wow - that is wild on the pricing.
These must be, I assume, primary (or only!) computers for people at those prices?
No. People have lots of phones in Asia. Many people I see carrying two or three. Taxi drivers may have 5 or 6 phones open at the same time. Not my photo, but the last taxi I was in had about 5.
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Has nothing to do with worth for X amount of screen.
Human hands have not changed sizes, and depending on use case, many of us find all these new phones to be too physically large.
Love that Apple isn't first to market but will no doubt be the BEST!
I had a Macbook (12") and a 12 mini. Shame Apple orphaned both, especially the MacBook. They do need to make the small ones more premium. Pay a premium for design just with like the iPhone Air.
Despite this being pretty much confirmed, I have severe doubts that an apple foldable will exist in the next few years let alone 2026.
You really don’t get the concept of wanting a tablet without having to carry it around in a backpack?
Makes sense…. I think the “fold” will be come the new iPhone pro…
iPhone 18, iPhone 18 air, iPhone 18 air Max, iPhone Pro (fold)
iPhone 18, iPhone 18 air, iPhone 18 air Max, iPhone Pro (fold)
Next year's rumored foldable iPhone will showcase an ultra-thin design resembling "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Writing in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple's first foldable device will be "super thin and a design achievement," combining Apple's thinnest iPhone form factor with cutting-edge folding technology. However, this engineering feat is still expected to come with a premium price tag of at least $2,000.
Apple launched its ultra-thin new iPhone Air last week. The device is 5.64mm thick and represents the company's thinnest iPhone to date, though it's still shy of the M4 iPad Pro's impressive thinness at 5.3mm.
Gurman says manufacturing the foldable iPhone will involve Foxconn in China, despite recent speculation about potential production in India. The device remains slated for 2026, dropping around Apple's traditional fall launch window, "give or take" hedges the Bloomberg reporter.
Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously outlined specifications for the foldable iPhone, including a 7.8-inch inner display and 5.5-inch outer screen, with pricing between $2,000 and $2,500. Apple reportedly plans to forgo Face ID in favor of Touch ID integrated into the side button to optimize internal space. The titanium device is expected to include a dual-lens rear camera, with a front-facing camera for both folded and unfolded states.
The foldable iPhone will compete in an increasingly crowded market dominated by Samsung's Galaxy Z series, establishing Apple's late entry into the folding smartphone category after years of the rumored device's development.
Article Link: Foldable iPhone Like 'Two Titanium iPhone Airs' Joined at the H
I think the iPhone Air is an absolutely ridiculous product, especially if you buy the $100 external battery that makes it the same thickness of a regular iPhone. I despise the ever increasing camera bump on iPhones. I don't see myself buying a Droid, but honestly the new Google Pixel 9A is exactly what I wish Apple would make. I just want a "flush" phone that I can set on my desk and use the freaking calculator without it wobbling back and forth. To make something "thin" just to shove all its components into a "bump" where it will thermal throttle, while at the same time making that bump also uneven with an additional bump for the camera, and just removing battery to gain the "thinness" so far that you have to then buy an additional battery so that its usable throughout the day is NOT innovation... I definitely don't want 2 iPhone Airs attached with a hinge for $2,000 or more.
Next year's rumored foldable iPhone will showcase an ultra-thin design resembling "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Writing in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple's first foldable device will be "super thin and a design achievement," combining Apple's thinnest iPhone form factor with cutting-edge folding technology. However, this engineering feat is still expected to come with a premium price tag of at least $2,000.
Apple launched its ultra-thin new iPhone Air last week. The device is 5.64mm thick and represents the company's thinnest iPhone to date, though it's still shy of the M4 iPad Pro's impressive thinness at 5.3mm.
Gurman says manufacturing the foldable iPhone will involve Foxconn in China, despite recent speculation about potential production in India. The device remains slated for 2026, dropping around Apple's traditional fall launch window, "give or take" hedges the Bloomberg reporter.
Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously outlined specifications for the foldable iPhone, including a 7.8-inch inner display and 5.5-inch outer screen, with pricing between $2,000 and $2,500. Apple reportedly plans to forgo Face ID in favor of Touch ID integrated into the side button to optimize internal space. The titanium device is expected to include a dual-lens rear camera, with a front-facing camera for both folded and unfolded states.
The foldable iPhone will compete in an increasingly crowded market dominated by Samsung's Galaxy Z series, establishing Apple's late entry into the folding smartphone category after years of the rumored device's development.
Article Link: Foldable iPhone Like 'Two Titanium iPhone Airs' Joined at the Hinge
The thing is, outside of opportunities to be snarky, and outside of marking blurb or fluffing investors/shargolders, does it matter at all if Apple is "a follower and not a leader." All Apple will care about, and all any company will care about, I sales.
The only reason to be "a leader, not a follower" is it it increases sales and/or shareholder value. Being a"leader" on every product range essentially means high R&D costs and bugs, as any first-get d device or technology will be buggy.
The "a leader is better than a follower" doesn't really hold up as an argument for the actual consumer.
As a consumer, would you prefer reliability and efficiency, or "new"?